Driveway pavers in Cedar Rapids IA - a driveway set on a base built for your ground
If your driveway is cracked, sinking or worn out, we'll replace it with pavers laid on a base sized for your yard.
Request an estimate
Is a paver driveway the right choice for your Cedar Rapids home?
Driveway pavers in Cedar Rapids, IA give you a driveway built in layers, with packed soil, a compacted stone base and a sand bed under interlocking pavers held in by edging. The joints between the pavers help reduce the cracking you see in asphalt and concrete driveways.
Most people who call us about pavers have a concrete or asphalt driveway that has cracked or settled, and they're deciding whether to pour again or switch. The price moves with the size of the driveway, the paver you pick, whether it's set in sand or mortar, how deep the base needs to be and whether the old driveway comes out first, while the schedule turns mostly on the season and the size of the job. We're based in Cedar Rapids and work in many of the cities around it, and when I come out I'll write up what I'd do at your house and why.
How we build a paver driveway
Before any digging, the underground utilities at your house should be located and marked so everyone on site stays safe. We then dig out the driveway, compact the soil and spread and compact the stone base, because the pavers can only sit as flat as what's under them. I build that base to suit the ground at your house rather than the least we could get by with, your estimate spells out how deep it will be, and we plan the base work for a time when the ground isn't frozen. Once the base is set, we put in the edge restraints that hold everything in place, level the bedding sand and lay the pavers.
A new driveway often sits beside other masonry that needs attention. If your driveway runs along a slope or a drop in the yard, retaining wall construction can hold the ground so the pavers keep a steady edge. If the brick steps or the front of the house look tired next to new pavers, our masonry restoration work can bring them back, done so it suits the original brick.
What shapes a driveway pavers job in Cedar Rapids
What a driveway needs from the local government is decided by your city or county, not by us. Iowa's contractor registration office tells contractors to contact the city or county for each project to learn its local requirements, and what Cedar Rapids asks for on a driveway like yours isn't something I'll guess at ahead of time. So before your job, we contact the city or county office, then tell you what they require and who will take care of it.
Many of the driveways we're asked to replace here are poured concrete or asphalt that has cracked over the years, so the job usually starts with tearing out the old surface and hauling it away. We see the same kinds of driveways on jobs in Hiawatha and Marion, and we plan the removal the same careful way there.
- Call (319) 536-8125
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
- Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
What happens when you call R&S Cedar Rapids Concrete & Masonry for pavers?
Call or send a message
Thank you for reaching out. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out to your house.
Walk the driveway with me
I look over the old driveway and the ground around it and ask what you've noticed. Then I write up what I'd do and why, including the paver, how it's set and whether the old driveway comes out, so you know what you'd be paying for before you decide.
Check local requirements, then schedule
Before work starts we make the city or county call I described above and tell you what came back. Then we set a start that fits the season and your plans.
Build, cover and clean up
The crew and I do the work, and at the end of each day we cover what's been done. We leave the site tidy, so you aren't stepping around a mess between workdays.
Why Cedar Rapids homeowners call us for driveway pavers
The owner writes your estimate
I come out to every job myself, look it over and write the estimate, and the same small crew I work beside does the building. The person who made the plan with you is on site when it's carried out.
A carpenter's eye since 2023
I framed houses for years before switching to masonry, and I learned the trade beside an experienced mason before starting this business in Cedar Rapids in 2023. Framing taught me that what's underneath decides how the finished work holds up, and a driveway is no different.
Licensed and insured for heavy work
We're licensed and insured. That matters on a driveway, where we're digging, running compaction equipment and moving a lot of stone close to your house.
A base depth you can compare
A Cedar Rapids paver cost guide prices driveways with a 4-inch compacted base, so it's worth asking every bidder what depth their price covers. Our written estimate gives you that number for your driveway, which makes the comparison a fair one.
The base is the part of a paver driveway you can't see once we're gone, so it's the part worth asking about. Call (319) 536-8125 or send us a message and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateRequest a free estimate for your paver driveway
We reply to every call and message within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free and done at your house, where I look over the driveway and the ground and write up what I'd do and why, with no obligation.
- Licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (319) 536-8125
- Location
- Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
Questions about driveway pavers in Cedar Rapids
How much does a paver driveway cost in Cedar Rapids, IA?
A sand-set paver driveway in Cedar Rapids usually costs about $14 to $18 per square foot, not counting tearing out an existing driveway. That's the going rate in the area, not our price, and pavers set in mortar, a larger drive or a deeper base will move it. I'll give you the figure for your own driveway once I've seen it.
How deep should the base be under a paver driveway?
Trade guidance says the compacted base under a home driveway on well-drained soil should be at least 6 inches thick. In colder climates, wet or weak soils call for a thicker base than that, so the right depth comes down to the ground at your house, and your estimate states the depth we plan.
Can driveway pavers be installed in winter in Cedar Rapids?
The base work shouldn't be done on frozen ground, because trade guidance says base material should go in unfrozen and shouldn't be placed over frozen soil. We plan the base for a time when the ground isn't frozen, though you're welcome to call in winter and have the estimate done early.
How long does it take before I can drive on new driveway pavers?
Concrete pavers can take traffic right after they're installed, according to the industry's application guide. That can shorten the time you go without your driveway, which helps if you park on it every day.
What is the best way to build a paver driveway for heavy trucks?
One option for a driveway that carries heavy loads is a concrete slab poured on a compacted base, with the pavers set in sand or mortar on top. One paver maker's guide calls laying pavers directly over concrete a specialty installation, typically used in climates with little freeze-thaw, so ask me how I'd build the base for your driveway before you settle on it.
Does a paver contractor need to register in Iowa?
Yes, if they earn at least $2,000 a year from construction, they have to register with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing. People working only on their own property don't have to register, and it's fair to ask anyone bidding your driveway about it.
Other work around your driveway
Retaining wall construction
When a driveway is cut into a slope or sits above a drop, a retaining wall holds the soil back so the edge of the pavers stays put.
Masonry restoration
Older brick steps, porches and house fronts near the driveway can look worn next to new pavers, and restoration brings the brick and mortar back to good shape.
Send us your driveway size and paver choice
If you share the rough size, the paver you like and whether the old driveway is coming out, I can arrive at the visit ready to talk through your options.
Request an estimateCall (319) 536-8125